Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-06-18

York, has Q style Of taking the breath of tho
book buying public, about every twoor tbree
months, that Is simply amazing. IL Was not
long before Christmas that told you Of his |
wonderful edition Of lrviug's works In nine |
beautiful hall. morocco volumes, easily worth |
three times the money. This was speedily |
followed by the announcement Of his Ideal |
Shakespeare in twelve volumes, Of which |
more than half the set Is already out |
Scarcely have We fairly recovered from our |
astonishmeut ut these marvels Of cheapuees,
when out comes his edition Of irring's L,fe |
Of Washington In four octave volumes, hand |
somer and better made than any book he has
ever before published.
This edition is printed on inner and heavier
paper than lrving's Works, from long primer
type, with ample margins, aud Is profusely
illustrated. 1t is bound either in cloth, gilt
TOP, at three dollars Tor the set, or in half.
morocco, marbled edges, at four dollars In
the latter form 1t Is nearly uniform with the
rest of lrviDg's Works, except that the vol.
umes are little larger, and ~ l said, even
handsomer The first volume Is now ready,
the rest are to follow next month.
As is well known, Irving himself regarded
his Litc Of Washington ~ the crowning work
of his life, as 1t WAS also the last he ever did.
He worked at it many years, with numerous
Interruptions, while the last four or five
years were devoted to II almost exclusively,
the first volume appearing in 1855, and the
last only few months before his death in
1859.
| As TO the merits OF the work, the best
critics are pretty well agreed that the authors
own estimate Of it was about correct, and that
| it Is not only the most elaborate, thorough
aud finished work OF Irving, but also the
hest aud most enduring biography Of the
| "Fsther of his Country" that ever has been
or is ever likely to be produced anywhere.
Irving seems To have been preotdained to
| be the biographer Of the great man after
whom he WAS named. His whole tempera-
| ment, and all his circumstances especially
fitted him for it Indeed, one can easily
barbor the fancy that he was inspired for II,
| II not by a prenatal inclination derived from
his mothers ardent aud enthusiastic sdmira
| tiou for the noble patriotic soldier and states.
man, yet at least by post natal event that
occurred when Irving WAS . babe in his
nurses arms The incident Is thus recorded
by Charles Dudley Warner in his charming
| volume on Washington Irving in the Gamer.
| lean Men of Letters series. HE Irvings
were living at New York, I'm q house on Will
liam street, half way between Fulton and
John streets. "The patriotic army occupied
the city," writes Mr.. Warner. Washing.
| toms work is ended said the mother, and
the child shall be named after him When
| the first president WAS again in New York,
| the first seat OF the new government, Scotch
| mad-servant of the family, catching the pop
ular enth usAsu, one day followed the nero
into q shop ana presented the lad to him.
Please, your honor said Lizzie, all sglow,
heres = bairu WAS named alter you And
| the grave Nirginian placed his hand on the
boys head, and gave him his blessing. The
touch could not have been more etticacous,
though 1t might have fingered longer, il he
had known he was propitiating his future
biogrspher."
1t WAS about the time OF the completion of
his "Tales of Traveller" that Irving began
to contemplate and to prepare for the writing
OF the "Lite OF Washington" and this was As
early as ls24. Before 1t WAS finished the
| work WAS often interrupted, and more than
, | once seemed to be laid aside permanently
| But the author himself seems never for
moDent to have abandoned his purpose and
| intention OF some day completing it Per
/ | hsps 1t was well that he could not write at i
, continuously. At sll events it did not sutieI
| from the delay, for when it was completed il
, | bore all the marks Of q students careful and
| conscientious research, and OF hs.orian't
deliberate, discriminating weIg hing OF evi
| dence and authorities before his final judg-
ment and opinions were recorded.
l am glad that In this verdict have the
sanction OF the latest historian OF our litera
ture, and probably the most competent and
Just critic in the country. Prot Richard sou
in his "Amsricsn Literature" writes
"BetWeen 1855 and lSj9 appeared, in five
| volumes, the elaborate Life Of Washington,
| upon which irving had been thinking OF
working for thirty years Here, although
lrving's defects as biographer and historian
L
| questionable His calmuess, serenity. and
| optimism put him into sympathy with Wash.
ingtOD, and his studies Of the Revolutionary
period are full and accurate, 81 that An I'M.
partial picture OF a great man II oil cred.
This quiet aud just presentation of Washing.
toms character is probably the one that will
endure; certainly there seems no imInsdiat
necessity to Te-xriO the story. OF all the
historical characters deiineated by Irving, the
| twOmost strongly brought before the reader =
eye are the superficial and tsnderly impul-
sive Goldsmith, and the grave and stately,
but not wholly s.uctitsd Washington"
There are few books that have "a stronger
claim on American readers than has this LiIe
| Of Washington. In fact its claim Is threefod
First, it ought to be owned by everyone be.
cause Washington Irving wrote it, our ii rst
and most delightful author who WAS dis
tinctively a man OF letters, and recognized
and hOnored ~ such in Europe. Secondly,
because, apart from its Ilustrious subjects
| services to our country, It is the study OF the
| noble life OF great and good man. And
thirdly, for patriotic reasons because II il
the record of the life and works of hun TO
whom We owe more than to any other man
| that ever lived, the greatest American
| patriot, the true " FatheT Of his Country ~
| There ought 70 be little short of u million sets
| OF this work sold, and the demand for il
| should never diminish but steadily Increase
from generation to generation.
! think, by the way, there il great need OF
our doing more than we are doing for the
fostering OF the sentiment of patriotism es.
pecially in the breasts OF the younger portion
OF our population. Otherwise this virtue Is
In danger OF dying out 1t Is a sentiment
that needs encouragement and education To
keep 1t alive And one OF the very best
means OF cultivating II by the reading OF Just
such biographies as this one OF that first
| American patriot, "tirst in war, first in
peace, and first in the hearts Of his country
| men,"
But this Is only one OF many means
Another most potent and important one ID
the proper celebratian OF Independence Day,
the Fourth of July. ! called attention 10
this more than year ago, and tried to show
the duty and need OF such Q celebration here
| In Lancaster. At the same time suggested